


Breaking point

by Reyns456



Category: Aquaman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Sibling Bonding, finally talking because THEY NEED IT, i do not like vulko but arthur does and im trying but i cant find how to talk nice about him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:22:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27719497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reyns456/pseuds/Reyns456
Summary: Weeks has passes since the final confrontation in Atlantis and Arthur hasn’t heard anything about his brother, starting to worry and with Lernaea asking about Orm he decides to look for him to be sure he is not planning anything.He wasn’t expecting things to turn out like this. Arthur has faced down kings, gods and monsters alike and now he faces his biggest challenge, having an heart to heart with his brother
Relationships: Arthur Curry & Orm Marius
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	Breaking point

**Author's Note:**

> We were talking on a server about Aquaman 65 and while joking this idea came up so here it is
> 
> There are probably some gramma mistakes, english is not my first language and I got tired of rereading it trying to find mistakes.

“Tula told me I would find you here.” Arthur said as he approached his brother, who was sitting on cliff looking at the horizon. Not getting any response he continued, “I’m surprised you are here, I didn’t expect you to get back to Louisiana.” Orm kept his silence, staring ahead. “Not even a greeting for your brother?” Arthur sighed, “Orm?”

Seeing he wouldn’t be getting any reaction anytime soon Arthur decides to sit besides his still unresponsive brother and wait. He knows how much his brother loves to talk, he couldn’t keep his quiet forever.

Against Arthur expectations minutes pass and Orm still doesn’t seem to want to acknowledge the older, the quiet unnerving the blond man. Arthur can help but think how quiet used to mean something different, when they were younger it was peace from their royal responsibilities, to just relax and be in company.

Now just means they aren’t trying to kill each other at the moment.

Things had really went sour.

To distract himself Arthur tried to see what has capturing his brother attention, he wasn’t sure if he saw Orm blink at all since he arrived. The only thing on sight besides the ocean, a place his brother hasn’t apparently got close to in a while, was a small coastal community.

 _At least he is not close to Belle Reve_. He though looking back at his brother, still ignoring him after what felt like an hour since his arrival. _I have no time for this._

“Orm!” Arthur said clutching his brother shoulder, Orm only reaction was tensing but still refused to look at him. “Fine! Don’t look at me of you don’t want to, I just wanted to make sure you weren’t planning sinking the land again, no one had seen you on weeks.” He said letting go and crossing his arms.

“And why is that surprising?” He heard Orm murmured response, he still refusing to look at him but at least he finally got some words, he had already surrender to this being a one sided talk.

“Well…” He didn’t got a much of a word out before he was interrupted, his brother words quickly making themselves know.

“You didn’t seem to care much about the last time I ‘went AWOL’ on the last few years.” Orm said with a sneer.

“I was…there were stuff happening at the time.” Was all Arthur could said, he wasn’t lying there, things after he took back the throne of Atlantis were a crisis after another, not giving him much time to breath. Even then, he knew he did try to avoid seeing Orm for a reason or another.

“I noticed when the jail blew up,” Orm made a gesture like explosion. “And the sky went dark. Even I knew that wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“That is when you made your escape?” Arthur asked even knowing the answer, he had asked Batman to check Belle Reve records to see if his brother was still alive, seeing him between the escapees had giving him some calm at the time.

“Everyone was leaving, no reason to do something different.” He shrugged and then tilted his head in though. “I didn’t see much of you during the following catastrophes on the surface world.”

“Things on Atlantis were… complicated.” Arthur responded scratching his head, that felt like and understatement.

“Things tends to be like when you are in charge of a country.” Was the flat answer.

“That is why I didn’t want the throne,” Arthur whispered, hoping to not be heard, he didn’t want to start a fight. “What are you doing here?” He finally asked now that he had his brother talking.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Just observing.” Orm said finally looking at his brother, the oldest could see the exhaustion on his eyes. At that sight he didn’t know how to response. Coming here he had expected his brother to scream at him o just simply try to attack, not this weariness that seems to be consuming him. Orm blinked slowly once and went back to stare ahead. Arthur felt like if he let Orm get lost on the distance again that will be the end of this conversation and he couldn’t let it happen.

“Lernaea was wondering where you were” He blurted out trying to keep the conversation going, a mistake seeing how his brother tensed after hearing the name of the elemental.

“So that is why you came looking for me,” Arthur could head the venom on the youngest voice “a _child_ I hurt remembered me before _you_ did.”

“No it, I mean yes, in a way I just…” Arthur fumbled with his words stopping when he head a laugh.

“Stuff were happening at the time”? Orm repeated eyeing at his brother with a sardonic smile, “It seems being a lighthouse keeper has to be as stressing as being a king.”

“…maybe.” Was all Arthur said looking away from Orm not wanting to admit he had been avoiding him. Orm scoffed and stared back at the horizon. Not wanting the silence to come back Arthur sighed covering his face, “Can we please have a regular conversation?”

“We are doing it right now” Orm responded. Arthur only reaction was to muffled a scream on his hands. Seeing him Orm couldn’t help himself from laughing at his brother, the sound of it stopped Arthur’s screaming and the blond quickly look at his brother with a grin.

“That is better.” His brother glared at him, confused. “Sorry, it’s been a while since I saw you genuinely laugh.”

“I haven’t had reasons to laugh lately.” Orm deadpanned looking on the direction of the town.

“I… can imagine that.” Arthur knew how much the throne meant to his brother and how living on land could mean to someone like him.

“Oh, you _do!_?” Orm screamed looking at his brother in the eyes, “Which one of the stuff that has been happening tip you off? Or it was Lea… Lernaea who told you again?” Arthur was getting tired of how his conversation was going, he had been trying to be compressive but he was really running out of patience with Orm and his assumptions.

“Oh, come on, give me so credit!” He knew he could be dense and distant when it comes to other people, not wanting to open up to them, but did Orm really think he will not notice his current state? Or how their last encounter ended.

“I don’t have much reason to!” He screamed hitting the ground. “Think back the last few years and give me one reason, just _one_ for me to ‘give you some credit’ Arthur.” Arthur keep quiet, he didn’t have one… he didn’t know what his brother had been doing. “That is what I thought.”

“You are overly simplifying this and you know it.” He knew he had blame on how things turned up, he couldn’t denied it even if he wanted too, but he wasn’t the only one, and he will not allow Orm to forget it. “You haven’t give me much reason to trust _you_ , or your actions either!” He did his best to keep his temper, he didn’t want this to get into a fight. They stared at each other neither wanting to back down, “Look I just came to see how you were because we were worried.”

“We?” It hurt to hear the disbelief on his younger brother voice.

“Yes _we_ , you disappeared almost immediately after our fight, you didn’t give us time to talk about anything outside of the statement that you wouldn’t be going back to jail this time...”

“Thanks for that consideration” Interrupted Orm with a sneer.

“…You should be grateful of this opportunity after the show you put that day! Not mentioning the stuff you did _before_!” Arthur screamed thinking of Andy and how she went missing thanks to his brother, how wrong that could had ended… before his though spiraled more into what ifs he took a big breath trying to calm himself, _that_ was a talk for another time. “Look, with the changes we were presenting we wanted to start new, clean slate for everyone.”

“And having me thrown in jail would disrupt that? I’m sorry for being a bother for your new precious government body.” Orm scoffed finally looking away, Arthur rolled his eyes his brother really making hard to keep his own temper in check.

“You have to admit this was the best choice.” Orm stared at his brother on disbelief.

“Losing our place as rulers is the right thing?” Arthur couldn’t help but sigh, he had hoped this time alone had given his brother some time think it over but not such luck. Wanting to change his mind he looked at his brother in the eyes conveying what he wanted in a few words.

“I don’t know, you tell me. What being a king has done for you Orm.” Ultimately Arthur wasn't sure what to feel when his brother couldn't keep his stare and looked away, in direction to the small community.

“I,” Orm started talking visible gulping, licking his lips, how long has been his brother away from the water? “I can’t believe you actually let Vulko be part of the new government body.” Orm commented. It wasn’t what Arthur wanted, but he was going to let slide the lack of answer, at least for now, until his brother had more time to digest the question.

“I know what you are thinking but you have to admit he was a good advisor.” Arthur said truthfully, Orm scoffed at that.

“Maybe he was to you. He was always against anything I said.”

“Well, it is not like you had the greatest ideas.” Arthur said with a teasing smile trying to light up the mood. His brother response was staring at him with a grin.

“The attack plans were your idea, dear brother.” Orm deadpanned and Arthur rolled his eyes. “Still, you must to admit Vulko had a think against me.”

“It was unusual that someone accused a 12 year old of murder.” Arthur conceded. That always had been the main point of the conflict between his brother and Vulko. He could understand his brother dislike for the man given those circumstances, even after he had confronted Vulko about it -after meeting Orm- he refused to back down off his claim, nothing seem to change Vulko’s mind at the time, nothing except….

“You will be surprised.” Orm said with a smirk. “He is also too arraigned on the old ways to change with the times,” Arthur started at him, “I know how it seems coming from me but, I am correct, we both know the lengths he is willing to go to follow them.”

“He has…” How can he put into words the last few years? “Well, he has mellowed down. He seems more accepting to idea of me not being king, at least compared to when I meet him all those years ago.”

“You mean he hasn’t started a war yet.” Orm remarked, Arthur groaned at that. “Just give him time, he will do something.”

“Talking from experience?” Arthur side eyes his brother.

“From trying to take over the throne or from dealing with his misconceptions?” Orm smirked “I have plenty of both.” Arthur couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“I have to admit Vulko, like everyone else, has his flaws.” He conceded his brother. “He doesn’t seem to care about apologizing.”

“Never said sorry for the war?”

“No, and neither did it for accusing you of killing out mom when we found out she was aliv…” The moment those words came out of his mouth Arthur could _see_ his brother body tensing and that his face was frozen in incredulity, eyes wide and breathing stopping. Arthur hold his breath not sure what would come next.

After what felt like an eternity the younger one just murmured.

“………..what,” his eyes unfocused, breathing coming in short like he had to remind himself to do breath.

“Oh, eh…” Was all Arthur could think to said, he had forgotten that his brother wasn’t aware of their mother being alive. He took a deep breath, this was going to be hard “Yes, our mother is… alive.” He scratched his neck. Orm hasn’t blinked yet and his body was so tense it seem really close to explode. Arthur could see the how hard he was grabbing at his arms, he wasn’t even sure if his brother was breathing anymore. “Orm?” Hearing his name seem to do the trick, his face slowly moving on Arthur direction.

“And you never told me.” Was all he said in a raspy voice, eyes still unfocused. Arthur bite his lip, not sure how to approach this, he wasn’t sure how Orm was going to react to the news but he didn’t expect _this._

“…she, she told me to not say anything, not even to you.” He murmured the last bit. Arthur could see the unspoken question of his brother glassy eyes. “She told me she was going to come when… when she was ready,” He closed his eyes “That was a few years ago…” The sound that came out of his brother wasn’t something he even thought was possible.

“…Years?” The broken words came out of his brother mouth between harsh breaths

“Yes?” Arthur responded getting increasingly worried, he never saw his brother lose his composure like this, -not even when they were younger- and didn’t know what to do. Orm arms were now hugging his body and his breathing was coming shorter with each breath he moved his mouth but no words came out. “Orm?” He finally said said grabbing his brother’s shoulder.

A mistake.

The response to the touch was immediate. He wasn’t sure what his brother screamed, he isn’t even sure if those were words or just a shriek, The next thing he knew was that he was barely holding his brother arms using all his strength trying to stop Orm from attack him. His brother movements were erratic, he just screamed eyes fixed on Arthur.

Arthur was starting to feel his hands getting tired but Orm was not relenting, he keeps at it struggling harder and harder with each movement, wanting to get free, to reach Arthur and just… just hurt him. Arthur is thinking how to stop this when the scream suddenly stops, in his place all he can heard is a broken sob. Orm body gets oddly still except for his breathing that was coming even harsher.

Arthur slowly gets again into a sitting position moving his brother away from himself and release him when he is sure he will not jump at him again. Orm stayed there sitting, looking down, eyes filled with tears but none falling, hands slowly going back to their hugging position like he was trying the contain the sobs that keep breaking his body.

If Arthur didn’t know what to do before no he was completely lost. After the attack he wasn’t sure how Orm would react to anything he tried to do while in his actual state. He couldn’t do anything besides looking ho his brother felt apart in from of his eyes. Let him suffer by himself…

_…Like he always does._

With that thought Arthur got closer to his brother hugging him by the shoulders, Orm face against his shoulder, the youngest tensed to the touch but Arthur didn’t care if Orm were to hit him again. He would take whatever it was throw at him. His little brother needed him now, and this time he was not going to abandon him.

Slowly Orm’s body started to relax, little by little his body sank against his older brother, the sobs were still present, even stronger than before and Arthur could feel something wet hitting his shoulder. He just hugged his brother harder.

Arthur was going to hold Orm as long as he needed him.

………………………….

Minutes later they were back to sitting looking at the horizon, none saying a word. Orm was working on keeping his breathing under control. Arthur, reflecting on what happened, could see now that this was something that had been building for some time. Not just on the last few months, it’s been for years, even decades. Orm was prone to quick anger when thing didn’t went his way, but for the most part he had been able to keep his composure. He wasn’t expecting that the news about their mother would cause this.

But it really made sense looking back.

“I…” Arthur finally broke the silence. “I’m sorry.” He murmured looking at his brother, trying to catch his eyes and convey as much as sincerity as he could. He wanted, he needed Orm to know he was truly sorry for…

“For what?” Came the hoarse question, Orm blinked, eyes red and shiny, trying to stop more tears from falling. A hand was still around his abdomen while the other lied at his side. He looked defected and it broke Arthur heart.

 _For everything_ though Arthur and he wanted to vocalize that. Now he could see how much he had failed his brother the last few years, someone who now looked as younger and vulnerable as when they first met more than a decade ago. But instead he just said:

“For not telling you the true.” He sighed, “I should had tracked you down the moment after I saw her but…” He cut himself looking at the side, not sure how to explain himself.

“Stuff were happening at the time?” Murmured Orm looking at him a hollow idea of a smile on his lips.

“Yes,” Arthur tried to smile back but it was impossible, “but I should had made the time. I, I shouldn’t had keep this from you but she said… no.” Orm raise an eyebrow. “I just thought it would be easier to leave it to her.” But he knew there was another reason why he didn’t track down his brother with the news. “I was… ashamed of my choice, I thought it was the right one at the time, the American government would accept you over Vulko seeing you were the figure head.”

“What?” Came Orm confused response, but Arthur wasn’t stopping.

“The League was sure that was the right choice, because of the nature of your crimes the government would had not accepted you to get jailed in Atlantis, they thought we would had go easy on you and let you go unpunished.” He huffed, “Maybe they were right, at least the people wouldn’t be on favor of your imprisonment and I… I just couldn’t face you after that decision.”

“So you never?” The realization of what Arthur was admitting clicking. _Then… He did abandoned me there._ Orm felt new tears falling, the pressure coming back to his chest, he closed his eyes wishing for the numbness he felt before Arthur arrival to come back, it was millions of times better than _this_.

“I couldn’t see you face to face,” Keep talking Arthur, “I knew how much you hated the land and, and you would be mad over being left on it, it was the worse punishment I could had imposed on you and I, I couldn’t bear to see you like that I…” Orm opened his eyes staring with anger at his brother.

“You abandoned me!” Orm screeched. “You let me to rot _alone_ in that place.” He accused, voice breaking. He took a deep breath trying to get a semblance of control over his emotions. “I can’t say I will ever accept my punishment. They didn’t care about anything I said, they didn’t fucking care! After so many times they had hit us before, I just, I, I was tired of it and…” He took a shaky breath, “Gods, I needed you Arthur.” He admitted hugging himself, his chest was hurting, everything was hurting so much.

“I’m sorry,” Arthur whispered. “I know that will not make up for it, no matter how many times I say it.” Orm just nodded looking at the ground. Arthur was right, those words would not made him forget the suffering, the painful adaptation period or the feeling lonely, but it was nice to heard his brother cared enough to say it. Not seeing any further response from his brother Arthur keep going, “Eventually, when the whole incident with that other earth settled I heard you were between the escaped prisoners, I, I thought you were going to get back to Atlantis.”

“That was the intention.” Orm said remembering that day and couldn’t help the small smile on his face, “but I found myself on a detour,” He said looking at the coastal community, “It wasn’t supposed to be a long one but…” Arthur looked at the town trying to find what his brother was looking at, “Let’s said I got caught on… something.” He murmured parting his sight from the town, it hurt to look at it but couldn’t help himself. He missed them.

“While I was waiting for your arrival,” continued Arthur, “things on Atlantis were getting complicated, with the city suffering from tremors, so I had to concentrate on the task at hand. It… it was that what draw me to our mother.” Orm could fell his body tensing a little at her mention but tried to keep calm. “We discovered what happened that night.”

“How?” Was all Orm could ask, he had went through that day millions of times, it was engraved into his memory, the play, the music, the explosion that almost reached him if it wasn’t for his mother, how she wasn’t fast enough to move away herself, her body, the smell… thinking about it still made him want to throw up.

“She… she faked her death.” Those words made Orm felt like he was drowning, _This can’t be real, it can’t be real_ , He was sure Arthur could see the distress on his face, millions of questions going through his mind too fast to concentrate in one but a simple one was clear and that was just

_WHY_

“Did you know? … No, “Arthur took a deep breath, “Your father, the day of your birthday, he told out mother he had killed me and my father.” Orm tilted his head confused. “And she killed him in retaliation.” It took him a moment to digest the words, he felt his eyes widening at the realization, he had his suspicion but… “Vulko told us she planned to run away with…” Arthur bitted his lips unable to say it.

“Arthur?” Orm said voice trembling already suspecting what his brother didn’t want to say. It hurt Arthur to hear the fear on his voice.

“Vulko told us that her plan was to run away with you after your ceremony but…”

“…the explosion” Murmured Orm feeling fresh tears on his eyes, he hated the feeling of crying in land, the water leaving his body, the impossibly of hiding his weakness.

“Yes, she… she caused it.” Orm wasn’t sure what he was feeling, just that it _hurts_ like anything else, like his hearth was being ripped out, he was past sorrow, past pain, the tears were leaving his eyes and wasn’t bothering to stop them anymore, it was just too much.

“Why?” He found himself asking, he needed to know, there _had_ to be a reason for her actions.

“I… I don’t know, she didn’t tell me.” Arthur said voice hoarse and Orm couldn’t stop the sob from leaving his throat.

“So she _just_ _left me._ ” Was all he could said between sobs “Just like that...” He felt hollow, the pain was still there but… Sensing his distress or finally out of words Arthur hugged him again, and this time Orm hugged back. He needed something to anchor himself, the idea of his mother abandoning him to the crown was even worse than losing her.

Gods, he had cried her, wept her for months, years, even a few weeks back he had found himself close to tears thinking about the mother he lost and how much his life had went to the abyss since that day, about her smile, her hugs, her love… He hugged his brother harder, _Did she even love me?_

Eventually Orm managed to calm himself a little, he just felt exhausted. _Why they keep abandoned me_ , he felt more tears but refused to let them drop, he needs to pull himself together, this weakness display has to end. He decided to separate himself from his brother, and blankly stared in direction of Erin and Tommy house. _Why… Why did **I** abandoned **them**_. He couldn’t keep a few tears from falling at that thought.

_They will never forgive me._

“So,” Orm wiped his tears trying to distract himself, “She told you to not divulge her location.” His voice sounded hollow to his ears, his throat hurt, the feeling worse than dehydration.

“She did…” Arthur nodded, a look of determination taking over his face. “But she took her time to meet you, so we are going to look for her.” He seem too had made his mind about this.

“You can reach there?” Orm for his part felt as hollow as his voice sounded, he didn’t felt anything at the prospect of seeing his mother again. A few hours ago he would had done anything to see her just one more time, but now? Now he didn’t feel anything, it wasn’t like the numbness that had taken over before, this was different.

“Yes, and even if she sealed the entrance I would find another way, I promise you Orm. We will see our mother again. Together this time and we will get answers.” Arthur tried to smile reassuring but Orm wasn’t sure if those words even made him feel anything.

He finally broke after all this time.

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like i have to say I actually don't see Orm as someone who easily cries but he just took to much over the last few years, things had been bad the last few weeks and this was the last straw.
> 
> I had been working on a fic were they go find Atlanna, who I have a lot of mixed feelings for, and this one fits as a prequel to it I'm not sure when it will be done tho


End file.
